From CoolTown Studios some more effective local action:
"...a group of merchants on U Street in MidCity, Washington DC formed their own ad hoc group and began a monthly tradition known as the U Street Shopper Social, aka the Third Thursday Shopper Social from 5-8 pm. A dozen or so stores simply came up with their own unique specials, named the event, then let people know through their collective mailing lists. The buzz creates quite a bit of press as well, and recently became a fixture on the neighborhood commercial district's online calendar.
Budget? Practically nil. Planning time from concept to execution? Days. Bureaucracy? None. Increased sales? A lot higher than that spent on the budget.
Some key lessons for a successful promotion:
1. Shorter period of time. The Shopper Social is only from 5-8 pm, so the crowds are more intense. If it were any longer, the crowds would be dispersed to the point no one would feel like there's something 'happening'.
2. Smaller area. There are 500 businesses in the neighborhood commercial district, but the merchants chose to keep it mainly to a one-block area for the same reason above.
3. Theme/target demographic. In the case of the Shopper Social, it's mainly for women looking to shop and, well socialize. So many of the promotions are sales on women's items, and desserts like 2 for 1 cupcakes at the bakery next door. Ideally, merchants should provide cupcakes at the sale.
4. Low cost. Web and emails are the primary means of advertising (essentially free.) Marketing growth is achieved through word of mouth, and that's helped immensely by keeping the event going.
